Thursday 31 May 2007

Rethinking mission

David points us to a valuable essay by John Stackhouse on “A Bigger – and Smaller – View of Mission.” Here’s an excerpt:

“Does this mean that other religions are salvific? Certainly not. No religion is salvific: not Hinduism or Shinto or Islam, but also not Christianity. God is salvific. Practicing religion, however correct it is and however correctly one practices it, will not save you. That is basic Christian conviction. It is trusting God that will save you – that also is basic Christian conviction.”

2 Comments:

Chris Duckworth said...

Oh, just to quibble - my trust in God will save me? In classic Lutheran style, let me ask, "How will I know if I trust enough?" If my salvation is dependent upon my effort in any way - including my ability to trust in God - then my salvation is far from assured. Salvation in this scheme becomes a function of my trust rather than God's faithfulness.

RJ Fox said...

Likewise, wouldn't the truly reformed position be that it is God who saves in love and freedom, regardless of our trust or lack thereof?

Post a Comment

Archive

Contact us

Although we're not always able to reply, please feel free to email the authors of this blog.

Faith and Theology © 2008. Template by Dicas Blogger.

TOPO